Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2017, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

While observing at-risk high school students at a Cleveland-area arts education organization, it became evident that stress may act as a barrier to developing confidence in teens. This project contains research to support and methods to creating an original theatre curriculum that reduces stress and increases confidences in late adolescents. The methods include identifying how confidence is measured in adolescents as well as collecting existing theatre curricula with learning objectives that promote confidence. These in combination with identifying existing framework(s) used to reduce stress; all informed the development of a theatre curriculum that could breakdown the barrier of stress in teenagers while building self-esteem.

Committee: Elisa Gargarella Ph.D. (Advisor); James Slowiak (Committee Member); Rachel Eastwood (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Arts Management; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Fine Arts; Performing Arts; Theater

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, Art Education

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) One-Act Play contest in Texas is the largest interschool theatre competition in the world. Over 1300 high schools compete in this statewide theatre competition each year. This study investigates the ways Texas theatre teachers view the contest, and how the contest influences the curricula in their classrooms. Six teachers were interviewed on their classroom practice and their curricula, specifically on the curricula's learner-centeredness, social responsibility, and comprehensiveness in theatrical disciplines as well as their attitudes toward competition and the One-Act Play contest. Interviews took place over the phone and Skype and were approximately an hour long. Through the interviews conducted, teachers revealed that their curricula are not limited by the UIL One-Act Play contest. The curricula described by the theatre teachers were widely varied, and each teacher valued learner-centered practice, social responsibility, and comprehensive theatre education to different degrees. According to the results of the study most teachers are not hindered by the UIL when developing their curricula in these three areas and students' experience in the UIL One-Act Play contest can be equally or more active and authentic as in other productions.

Committee: Sydney Walker (Advisor); Shari Savage (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Curricula; Education; Theater; Theater Studies

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2010, Theatre Arts

Objectives- The primary goals of this thesis was to illustrate, through the production of the theatrical production, Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, that a theatrical production may be used to provide integration opportunities for other areas of the high school curriculum and the staff and students of the high school. The theatrical production and the academic integration were completed at Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio during the 2008-2009 academic year. In addition, the other goals of the project were to illustrate how the choice of a theatrical production may assist in improving the overall quality of the Theatre program in a school district, thus making it more accessible, appealing, and ultimately, educational to a larger population of students. Methods- Integration of Theatre was accomplished through study of all academic areas of the Ohio State Academic Standards and using Theatre to accomplish those standards in several different content areas. Theatre may also be used as a means of preparation or review for standardized tests, such as the OGT in English and Social Studies areas. Additionally, involving staff offered the opportunity for them to collaborate with the Theatre teacher and create multi-faceted learning opportunities. Development of the Theatre program involved collaboration with students, staff, and parents. This made the Theatrical Production connect to a larger audience. Results- Teachers want to collaborate but often do not due to time conflicts and budgetary constraints. Overall staff members enjoyed the integration and wanted to do for future theatrical productions. The teachers were willing to assist in making the production a success by offering their talents and the talents of their students. The number of students who participated in the theatrical production was exceeding larger than any previous school year. Conclusions- Theatre productions are designed to teach. They should be used to reach a larger number of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: James Slowiak Mr. (Advisor) Subjects: American Literature; Art Education; Curricula; Education; Fine Arts; Language Arts; Teaching; Theater

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Ohio University, 2018, Theater

Education provides a durable foundation for social growth by influencing the environment in which oppression persists. Maurianne Adams and Lee Anne Bell, editors of Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice, introduce social justice education as a pedagogical approach that “includes both an interdisciplinary conceptual framework for analyzing multiple forms of oppression and a set of interactive, experiential pedagogical principles to help learners understand the meaning of social difference and oppression, both in social systems and in their personal lives” (Adams et al. ix). This thesis argues that Asian American theater can utilize social justice education pedagogy to promote discussion and education of racial issues in the Asian American community. Theater is a viable alternative to lecture-based learning. Theater can act as a catalyst for dialogue, and can be used to effectively engage with audiences in a way that allows the audience to critically analyze systems of oppression. This thesis aims to connect social justice education methods with Asian American theater so that Asian Americans can better navigate the oppressive systems embedded in mainstream theater and other oppressive systems in their own lives. Many social justice education principles are present and relevant to Asian American theater, and three case studies are analyzed to support this claim, including Ma-Yi Theater Company, Miss Saigon, and Vietgone.

Committee: William Condee Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Asian American Studies; Pedagogy; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater Studies

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2006, Theatre Arts

The thesis documents the author's process of developing an educational live wildlife show. Three main aspects of the process are examined in three of the five chapters: writing the show script; the actor's performance process; and the tasks of training and handling live animals in a show. The first chapter introduces the thesis by describing how many wildlife shows and spectacles in twentieth century America have evolved from mere human entertainment to tools used to educate the public about ecological natural history. Finally, Chapter Five summarizes the previous four chapters and makes a case for the important role that educational wildlife shows play in the field of environmental conservation.

Committee: James Slowiak (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2013, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

While higher arts education programs may be preparing students to excel at the creation and performance of the arts, evidence suggests that many of these programs are failing to prepare students for the business of being a professional artist. In the United States, Discipline-Based Arts Education (DBAE) remains the prevailing program theory guiding the majority of higher arts education programs. While there is much praise for DBAE throughout higher education, scholarly discourse and evidence suggests a need to adapt DBAE to better address the poor professional outcomes of undergraduate arts students. Evidence indicates that a total of 11.1% of all recent college graduates with undergraduate arts degrees are unemployed (Carnevale, Cheah, & Strohl, Hard Times: College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings, 2012, p. 7). Fifty two percent of arts undergraduate alumni reported being dissatisfied with their institution's ability to advise them about further career or education opportunities (SNAAP, 2012, p. 14). 81% of all arts undergraduate alumni reported having a primary job outside of the arts for reasons of job security (SNAAP, 2012, p. 19). Higher arts education administrators have tried to address these statistics by incorporating the teaching of applicable non-arts (business, entrepreneurship, artist survival) skills into undergraduate arts programs. However, evidence suggests that the limitations of DBAE, lack of contextual consensus on educational goals, and stakeholder pressures and agendas make it difficult for administrators to create adequate curricular room for the teaching and learning of non-arts skills. Furthermore, the National Office of Arts Accreditation (NOAA) classifies non-arts skills as “general studies units”, and only recommends but does not mandate any standards associated with the teaching of general studies units. In response to the call for higher arts education reform, this paper discusses potential causal factors of poor professional (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Durand Pope (Advisor); Kristin L.K. Koskey Dr. (Advisor); Jennifer Milam Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Arts Management; Curriculum Development; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Theatre

This reflective practitioner research study explores the potentials for the reimplementation of effective university theatre outreach programming for K-12 schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as both populations navigate shifting education cultures. Through this study, the researcher asks the questions: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected and continues to affect our respective learning communities? What factors are influencing the specific needs and preferences from theatre education programs? What are the challenges of creating a program that addresses the needs of two distinct education sectors? How do critical and creative pedagogies in theatre education inform a way forward that empowers all individuals involved? Utilizing the 2023 Ohio State University Theatre Performance and Education Outreach School Tour as a case study, this inquiry investigates the ways in which the tour structure may provide a space for students and teachers to participate in critical pedagogies and dialogical practices within the classroom structure. Through examination of historical archive review, teacher interviews, and observational reflection, this study concludes with recommendations for practical strategies that encourage our respective educational communities to lean on each other's expertise nd to center the voices of and lived experiences of multi-generational students within the creative practice.

Committee: Claudia Wier (Committee Member); E.J. Westlake (Advisor) Subjects: Theater

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, Music

Since the end of the 19th century, musical theater has thrived and continued to grow as a prominent American artform. Though musical theater has roots in classical style singing, it quickly capitalized on the inclusion of contemporary music trends, notation, orchestration, and themes. Because of its influence from contemporary styles, musical theater is considered a part of Contemporary Commercial Music or CCM. Traditionally, if you wish to study voice at the collegiate level, the majority of your education will be classically based; however, current research has demonstrated that there is a want and a need for the inclusion of CCM, and more specifically musical theater into the collegiate voice curriculum. In 2003, Jeanette LoVetri and Edrie Means Weekly conducted a survey evaluating voice teacher training and experience. While a majority of voice teachers taught musical theater, less than half had received any sort of training to do so. The investigators concluded that a high majority of singing teachers desired more organized and consistent vocal education for CCM and especially musical theater. Later investigative surveys revealed similar results. Despite the demand, the current collegiate voice curriculum has not yet adapted to include a well-rounded curriculum inclusive of CCM styles and it is clear that the lack of CCM inclusion is negatively affecting our singers and music educators. To gauge current perceptions on the inclusion of musical theater education at the undergraduate level, this survey gathered insight from recent alumni of vocal music programs at Ohio public universities. The data was collected from a population in which n=24. While this survey serves as a pilot study, we can identify several trends among the respondents. From the study, it is evident that a percentage of Ohio voice alumni are not satisfied with the amount of musical theater education within their undergraduate voice programs. In general, those who are currently employed in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Katherine Rohrer (Committee Chair); Alan Green (Committee Member); Edward Bak (Committee Member); Cyril Blosser (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Music; Music Education; Theater

Bachelor of Music, Capital University, 2022, Music

Theatre is an art form with the capacity to enact real change in our communities. Because of the wide array of topics theatre explores, it can help us to hold up a mirror to real life, critique and comment on proceedings within it, hold space for human emotion and therefore catharsis, and get viewers invested in a good story. This begs a responsibility for theatrical professionals to tie in aspects of community outreach to create a more enriching show, and harness the true power of this art form. In this project, I will be producing and directing Indecent, as well as creating opportunities for community outreach through talkbacks, service projects, and campus engagement opportunities. I will be creating a directorial concept, choosing actors, designing a rehearsal plan, finding costumes, set design elements, lighting, sound, and anything else needed to produce the show, all while organizing the opportunities for community engagement, complementary to the show's themes of LGBTQ+ rights and the history of Yiddish theatre. I have received permission also to conduct interviews and surveys of audience members directly after the show as well as check-ins to measure how the themes resonated with them, and later, how they have noticed them appear in their lives since, or any changes they have made. In the final paper in the execution semester, I will then explore these effects through the findings of this production and outreach components to demonstrate that theatre has the ability, and therefore responsibility to benefit others.

Committee: Joshua Borths (Advisor); Jens Hemmingsen (Advisor); Chad Payton (Advisor) Subjects: Art Criticism; Art Education; Art History; Arts Management; Behavioral Psychology; Communication; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Dance; Demographics; Design; East European Studies; Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Educational Theory; Ethics; European History; European Studies; Fine Arts; Folklore; Foreign Language; Gender; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; History; Holocaust Studies; Industrial Arts Education; Intellectual Property; Judaic Studies; Marketing; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Modern History; Modern Literature; Music; Music Education; Performing Arts; Personal Relationships; Social Research; Social Work; Teacher Education; Teaching; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies; Theology; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Theatre

Shakespeare's plays are often a staple of the secondary school curriculum, and, more and more, theatre artists and educators are introducing young people to his works through performance. While these performances offer an engaging way for students to access these complex texts, they also often bring up topics and themes that might be challenging to discuss with young people. To give just a few examples, The Taming of the Shrew contains blatant sexism and gender violence; The Merchant of Venice features a multitude of anti-Semitic slurs; Othello shows characters displaying overtly racist attitudes towards its title character; and Henry V has several scenes of wartime violence. These themes are important, timely, and crucial to discuss with young people, but how can directors, actors, and teachers use Shakespeare's work as a springboard to begin these conversations? In this research project, I explore twenty-first century productions of the four plays mentioned above. All of the productions studied were done in the United States by professional or university companies, either for young audiences or with young people as performers. I look at the various ways that practitioners have adapted these plays, from abridgments that retain basic plot points but reduce running time, to versions incorporating significant audience participation, to reimaginings created by or with student performers. I also examine programming that occurs alongside productions, such as pre or post-show workshops and post-show discussions. I conclude by offering a collection of best practices, gleaned both from my study of these individual productions and from research in fields like applied theatre and educational theory.

Committee: Lesley Ferris (Advisor); Jennifer Schlueter (Committee Member); Shilarna Stokes (Committee Member); Robin Post (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Theater

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2015, Theatre

This creative thesis in applied theatre is from a participant research perspective focused on building community in Miami University's theatre department. Borrowing from Zygmunt Bauman's theory of liquid modern communities, I argue that America's big business corporatized public higher education system has changed as community has changed overtime. This change reveals community from being defined synonymously with society to individualization. `Liquid moderns' now use community as a commodity to meet their individualistic needs as a means of happiness and yet still find themselves truly alone. Though affecting all academic departments, this framework goes against the inherent community building discipline of theatre. Borrowing from Friends Provident, Michael Rohd, and Dale Savidge, I use applied theatre techniques to create spaces for conversation, empowerment, relationships, and transformation through performance, asset-based community building methods, civic practice, and spiritual and personal healing. According to Hans Georg Gadamar, Anthony P. Cohen, and Zygmunt Bauman, community in academia is through continuous deep engagement, interpretation, and conversation. In three different workshop groups, I engage liquid moderns in conversation through creative spaces for the purpose of empowering them in the direction of true community.

Committee: Ann Elizabeth Armstrong PhD (Advisor); Julia Guichard MFA (Committee Member); Kate Rousmaniere PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Personal Relationships; Theater

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2015, Theatre

This is a creative thesis in playwriting. By re-examining works by well-known, abled-bodied playwrights such Tennessee Williams, this thesis inspects how people with disabilities (PWDs) have been portrayed on stage throughout theatre history. This thesis exposes the negative image of PWDs on stage, while arguing that the reasoning for these negative representations is due to the lack of education about PWDs. Demanding that a new representation be made, the purpose of this thesis is to encourage new playwrights to break the cycle and end the negative images of PWDs on stage. Using my own play, Puzzles, which focuses on Autism, this thesis shows how a play can be used as an educational tool to break stereotypes and create a work of art where PWDs are not portrayed as villains.

Committee: Paul Bryant-Jackson (Advisor); Ann Elizabeth Armstrong (Committee Member); Kathy McMahon-Klosterman (Committee Member) Subjects: Theater

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2013, Theatre

This thesis uses practice-based research to explore possible interventions into the traumatic impact of illness upon breast cancer survivors' voices and the role of neoliberal pink ribbon culture in compounding their silencing. The interdisciplinary research pulls from the fields of applied theatre, critical pedagogy, materialist feminism, narrative analysis, social movement theory, medical sociology, and dialogue, disability and performance studies. Reflecting upon process and praxis relating to a regional tour of Susan Miller's My Left Breast as a means to engage a community of survivors, advocates and the general public, this thesis asks: Can a community-based theatre event focused on exploring breast cancer counternarratives provide both a therapeutic space for survivors to tell their stories as well as encourage the audience to think more critically about how culture works to influence narratives emerging from breast cancer culture?

Committee: Ann Elizabeth Armstrong (Advisor); Paul Jackson (Committee Member); Ann Fuehrer (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts; Medical Ethics; Pedagogy; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater Studies; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2008, Teaching and Learning

Over the last twenty years, museums, zoos and aquaria have been developing live theatre programs to present performances to their visitors. In general, these performances are presented by professional actors, the scripts are written by playwrights, and the staging is done with a director. The content of these performances is generated from the institutional mission of the home museum, zoo or aquarium, and is usually educational. This genre of performance is called museum theatre. While the practice of museum theatre has proliferated, fewer attempts have been made to research its effects. Positive response has been documented from visitors who have seen such performances, but only a few studies have gone beyond this to understand the underlying nature of that response.This study explored the nature of spectator response to museum theatre performances. Several different museum theatre performances were used in two museum sites in order to gather responses from museum visitors of all ages who became spectators. Through pre- and post-show surveys, observations, focus group interviews, and follow-up interviews 3-5 months later, spectator responses were analyzed using transactional theory as a lens to reveal what participants selected for attention and how they constructed meaning from their museum theatre experience. The sample of visitors who participated in this study represented a wide range of ages. This was evident in the variety of experiences they brought to their meaning-making of the performances, which inspired a plethora of different interpretations of the performances. Participants in this study were typically able to recall details of the performances they saw three to five months later. A primary idea that emerged in the data that showed aesthetic response to museum theatre was the centrality of empathy. The human dimension, the interaction between spectator and actor, was found to be of central importance in engaging spectators to museum theatre. One of th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christine D. Warner PhD (Committee Chair); Brian Edmiston PhD (Committee Member); Ian Wilkinson PhD (Committee Member); Anthony Jackson (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Museums; Theater

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2010, Educational Administration

This work employs the mechanism of differential consciousness to create a bricolage of content and structure. It examines the intersections of feminism (as it has been brought into the academy through women's studies), theatre, and early childhood education, particularly as they work together to create a personal and professional identity that defines, and is defined by, a unique pedagogy of transdisciplinarity. Specifically, it is designed to address six primary points:1. It provides an exemplar of how to employ differential consciousness as a mechanism for constructing a bricolage of narrative, research, and theory. 2. It demonstrates the application of feminist theory through specific disciplines into a transdisciplinary discourse. 3. It advocates for and furthers a transdisciplinary conversation in relation to the social, cultural, political, and academic intersections of early childhood education, women's studies, and theatre. 4. It adds to the body of historical knowledge of women in the academy through the stories of Patty Smith Hill and Winifred Ward. 5. It offers, by blending the stories of Hill and Ward with my own, a cogent example of the ways in which biography can be contextualized to provide inspiration for non-traditional career paths. 6. It challenges early childhood educators and caregivers to embrace feminism, it challenges feminists to more thoroughly ally with early childhood education, and it challenges both to expand their thinking about the function of gender roles in educational settings, and demonstrates the application of performance theory to this process.

Committee: Sally Lloyd (Committee Co-Chair); Kathleen Knight-Abowitz (Committee Co-Chair); Sheri Leafgren (Committee Member); Kathleen Johnson (Committee Member); Elizabeth Mullenix (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education History; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; Families and Family Life; Fine Arts; Preschool Education; Teacher Education; Teaching; Theater; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2008, Speech Communication

Theatre-based improvisational training for executives is becoming a trend with improv-based theatres such as Chicago's Second City catering their skills to the corporate world. Unfortunately, effectiveness of such training has relied primarily on assumptions and anecdotal testimony, with little supporting empirical data. This study seeks to take the first step toward quantifiably assessing the effectiveness of workplace improvisational training and the use of a supplementary simulation activity. Malcolm Knowles' assumptions of adult learning guide the research. The Group Behavioral Inventory (GBI), used for assessing impact of organizational interventions, allows for the testing of changes in dimensions of group behavior across time. Results indicate no significant increases in dimensions of group behavior following training and a simulation; however, analysis of trends points to the potential for improv-training to temporarily encourage positive group bonds and reinforce existing group goals. Trends also reveal the value of simulation activities for creating increased self-awareness.

Committee: James Patterson PhD (Advisor); Gary Shulman PhD (Committee Member); Judith Weiner PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Business Community; Business Education; Communication; Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Psychology; Fine Arts; Higher Education; Teaching; Theater

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2005, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Theatrical Production Manager is a title that is relatively new to the theatre. While today many theatres have production managers on staff, there is no universal job description applicable to every production manager in the field. This study examines the field, the few academic programs that offer specialized preparation for a career, the available texts, and develops a comprehensive semester-long class in theatrical production management. From the research collected, a combination of methods, along with a will and a desire to become a production manager could very well be the best way to enter the field. Most of the production managers interviewed believe that education is important for building a strong skill base. The rest should be learned in practice, while working as an assistant production manager or during an internship.

Committee: Durand Pope (Advisor) Subjects: Fine Arts